The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 453 - 71: As One Pleases

Gan Guoyang had long known that his ability to learn basketball was much stronger than the average person.

It must be attributed to that all-encompassing template; even at a height of 6 feet 10 inches, many technical movements were easy for him to pick up.

After all, many years later, the blurring of positions would enable more and more tall players to master the skills traditionally associated with guards.

Gan Guoyang often "imitated" classic moves of his opponents during games, which seemed improvised but in reality, he would’ve practiced them tirelessly in private.

Mastering a set of technical movements was easy, but being able to use them fluidly in high-intensity games was another matter altogether.

Many players knew every skill in no-contact practice, but reverted to basics during actual games, and even more so in critical moments.

The reason he learned from opponents during games was partly because the long regular season needed a bit of fun, and partly because it was a psychological tactic.

He was like those students who didn’t seem to work hard but achieved good test scores, creating confusion and unseen pressure among his peers.

In private, he would study desperately at home, combining hard work with talent, eventually outstripping his peers in academic performance.

Gan Guoyang didn’t wake up early just to go running; he wasn’t a marathon runner, after all. Running was merely his warm-up. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

He had ample time to ponder and learn various technical moves while continuously toughening up his body—never satisfied with himself.

If there were someone in the league he needed to surpass, he would diligently strive to do so; if not, he would surpass himself.

Jordan was right; Gan Guoyang indeed held back during the regular season, often not using the technical moves he practiced in training during games.

It wasn’t out of disrespect for the opponents or insufficient technique, but to accommodate his teammates.

This season, Gan Guoyang had plenty of opportunities to go one-on-one in the post; he could’ve shown off his wide array of offensive skills.

Yet Gan Guoyang knew that the longer he took with isolations, the longer his teammates would wait, the movement would stall, and their enthusiasm for the game would diminish.

It might seem like a one-on-four situation for the Trail Blazers, but his four onlookers didn’t actually watch for long because Gan Guoyang dealt with the ball very quickly and efficiently.

He wouldn’t dribble endlessly, back down into the post for an age, repeat fake moves that fooled both the opponent and his teammates, and he wouldn’t hassle everyone to finally make a pass.

He always initiated his offense with the most efficient means at his disposal: against weaker opponents, he would push to the basket for a layup; against shorter players, he’d utilize the hook shot or a turn-around jumper; against taller defenders, he’d face up and drive for a strong finish.

Gan Guoyang had set rules for himself: after receiving the ball, handle it for no more than three seconds, dribble no more than three times, and in each game, don’t use more than three different post-up moves—his so-called "Three-Three Principle."

During the long and monotonous regular season, he adhered to this rule, ensuring his isolations didn’t dampen his teammates’ involvement or cause team offense to stagnate.

To him, this efficient style of play allowed him to maintain a consistent standard, enabling him to perform well even on nights when he was tired or out of form.

This season, Gan Guoyang hadn’t scored fewer than 20 points in any game; even Michael Jordan had three games scoring less than 20 points. Gan Guoyang had elevated his consistency to new heights.

He was like a machine, but not quite one; no machine possessed his passion, his love for basketball, and the joy he derived from each game’s intense challenges.

In the final game of the regular season, he intended to enjoy himself, as scoring became less of a priority.

During the half-time break in the locker room, Gan Guoyang told his teammates directly, "Second half, I’m going to show off some offensive skills, which might mean I play a bit slower than usual, so you can rest more on the court. And remember to get back on defense. Don’t get so mesmerized that you forget to guard, or I’ll kick your asses."

Hearing Gan Guoyang say this, everyone sighed helplessly, knowing he was about to show off again.

The Trail Blazers players knew Gan Guoyang had a wide repertoire of moves, like Vandeweghe’s step-back, which he executed quite proficiently.

But he rarely used it in games, saving it for crucial moments, such as when he needed a key mid-range shot, and indeed, he scored when it mattered.

There was also Drexler’s finger roll, which Gan Guoyang didn’t use in games; more often, he would opt for a hook shot or dunk it directly. With his height and strength, he had no need for a finger roll.

Since it was the last regular season game, everyone was in a relaxed mood and started joking with Gan Guoyang.

"Sonny, can I make a request? I want to see you dunk from the free-throw line."

"You’d better grab an umbrella for that!"

"I want to see a three-pointer from half-court, Sonny, you can do that, right?"

"How about a 1080-degree spin layup in the air?"

The suggestions grew more absurd, until Ramsay interrupted, "Alright, enough. The regular season isn’t a game; don’t overdo it now. The Hawks’ defense deserves everyone’s respect!"

However, just before the end of the break, close to taking the court, Ramsay pulled Gan Guoyang aside and said, "Ah Gan, I think there’s a windmill dunk on street courts that looks quite spectacular."

"Coach, I really can’t do that."

"No problem, you can just pretend under the hoop."

"..."

Everyone returned to the court with this relaxed mindset, and the game continued into the second half.

The atmosphere on the Hawks’ side was starkly different; during the break, Coach Fratello had made numerous defensive adjustments in the locker room, all aimed at shutting down Gan Guoyang.

He knew Guoyang was adept at making third-quarter surges, so he instructed Kevin Willis to guard Guoyang closely from the very start, even beyond the three-point line, to deny him any space for offense.

The Hawks had defended well in the first quarter, but by the second, their defense had slackened, and with Gan Guoyang’s sudden burst of accuracy from outside, they gave him too many opportunities.

Now, Fratello wanted Willis to close those gaps.

As rookies from the class of 1984, Willis and Gan Guoyang had a good relationship off the court.

He was from California, studied at Michigan State, majoring in fashion design.

Many players only attend college as a formality, merely a stepping stone to the professional leagues.

Willis, however, was really into his studies, his side business was tailoring suits for the NBA’s tall centers.

Gan Guoyang’s suits for some major events were tailored by Willis.

When the Hawks were in Portland for a game last time, Willis told Guoyang he planned to open a clothing company, specializing in oversized suits and formal attire for basketball players.

Gan Guoyang thought this business had potential, and after already venturing into the construction and funeral industries, he was ready to invest in the clothing industry, all of which are ancient trades that have evolved with human society.

As the second half began, Willis stuck closely to Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang laughed, "Kevin, does your coach have a beef with you? Making you cover me in the second half?"

Willis, helpless, said, "There’s nothing I can do about it, just go easy on me."

The Hawks attacked first, Wilkins’ shot missed, but Willis grabbed the offensive rebound.

He passed the ball out to the perimeter, where Rivers took the ball, drove in and hit a floater, scoring the first point for the Hawks.

When it was the Trail Blazers’ turn to attack, despite their good personal relationship, Willis still did his best to prevent Guoyang from getting the ball.

Gan Guoyang didn’t post up low, instead he set a pick with Porter outside and then moved beyond the three-point line to catch the ball.

Guoyang feigned a three-point attempt, Willis lunged to defend, Guoyang dribbled with his left hand and moved inside, with Willis following close.

Gan Guoyang suddenly stopped at a 45-degree angle looking as if he was going to shoot, Willis sensed Guoyang had gathered the ball and leaped to block.

But it was a fake; Gan Guoyang changed direction, bypassed him, avoided Rollins’ block and laid up with his left hand to score!

The home fans all gestured for a double dribble, and Willis also shouted towards the referee on the sidelines, "He traveled!"

Referee Evans was nearby but shook his head and said, "No, he didn’t, that was a fake."

Then Evans cautioned Gan Guoyang, "I could call traveling on you, don’t make that move next time."

Gan Guoyang shrugged, "It’s a standard move."

"You’re walking a fine line with possession there. But truly, it was pretty nice; no center can play like that."

Evans still praised Gan Guoyang; at that time in the League, not to speak of centers, even guards rarely made such realistic and fluid fakes.

Gan Guoyang started playing basketball on the streets where traveling calls were not very strict, which allowed for a lot of flashy plays.

In recent years, the NBA had relaxed the rules on dribbling and traveling, allowing for side dribbling; otherwise, players would have to dribble up and down, which wasn’t very entertaining and made dribbling too difficult.

After scoring, the Trail Blazers’ teammates became slightly restless, knowing Ah Gan was starting his show.

The Hawks players hadn’t realized this yet and continued with their methodical half-court offense.

Willis attempted to power through Thompson in the post but missed; however, he tipped in the second chance.

Willis had the advantage over Thompson and kept the Hawks with a three-point lead.

The Trail Blazers attacked, and in the same spot, Guoyang and Porter executed a pick and roll, Guoyang receiving the ball facing Willis.

This time Guoyang took a step back, then suddenly accelerated with the ball, still using his left hand.

Willis, of course, conceded the driving lane but stayed close; unexpectedly, Guoyang suddenly stopped and switched the ball under his leg to his right hand.

Since he was tall and lowering his center of gravity was difficult, he just pushed the ball forward as if passing a soccer ball through someone’s legs, and then ran after it.

Taking a large step, he caught the ball in the paint and took off, floating a shot over Rollins and scoring!

The Trail Blazers’ bench started to buzz, Porter on the court just shook his head, he couldn’t make that play himself.

Dribble, pull back, between the legs – though not as smooth as a smaller player, the moves were grand and expansive, leaving the live audience in awe.

Could Ah Gan really play like this? What was that move, it looked so graceful, typically something a guard would do, right?

The Hawks were beginning to sense something was amiss, and Wilkins tried to draw some attention back with a slam dunk into the basket.

Gan Guoyang didn’t bother defending too hard, if you want to dunk, go ahead; after the dunk, Porter brought the ball up past half court.

This time after a pick and roll, Gan Guoyang got the ball as the Hawks started double-teaming him, not giving him room to move.

Gan Guoyang passed back to Porter and moved inside, squeezing past Willis to receive the ball at a 45-degree angle.

Quickly pivoting to face the basket, he suddenly shot from mid-range, banking it in from 45 degrees!

For Gan Guoyang, this was rare because he usually never used the backboard for shots.

Once he started making bank shots, everyone knew he was playing as he pleased.